Darlene May Brown

Darlene May Brown, age 87, passed away peacefully in her sleep in Oroville, CA on Wednesday,
September 27. Darlene was born February 12, 1936, in Willows, California to Herman and Genevieve
Storz and grew up on their dairy farm with her two brothers, Fred and Dan. In 1952 Darlene married
Howard Mallory and they had four children, Brad, Linda, Jan, and Scott. In 1968 Howard died in an
accident, leaving her a widow. That same year, lucky for her, Darlene met and fell in love with Richard
Cardoza who was raising his three children, Pete, Linda, and Julie. Their marriage brought together all
seven kids into a beautiful, blended family. Richard and Darlene had a long and loving marriage for
almost 30 years, sharing a love of family, camping, archery, hunting, and entertaining. They also started
two successful businesses, Shoot and Cycle and Cardoza Creations. In 1995 Richard tragically died and
Darlene was again on her own. Later in life she moved to Redding where she met and married Larry
Brown who died in 2017, before finding her way back to Oroville.
Darlene was a loving, supportive, and generous sister, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother to
everyone in her family. She had a great sense of humor along with a wisdom and strength that her
family always benefitted from. She was a creative and artistic soul by nature and used those gifts in
painting, doll making, quilting, sewing, and cooking. She looked beautiful in red and wore it often. It
was a color found in many of her creations. Darlene was a master in the kitchen, a gifted cook who
could whip up a family dinner or a meal for an unexpected crown without hesitation. She will be missed
by all who knew and loved her.
Darlene was preceded in death by her parents and son, Pete Cardoza. Darlene is survived by her
brothers Fred (Yvonne) and Dan (Katherine) Storz; her children Brad (Nancy) Mallory, Linda (Byron)
Slimmer, Linda Wysong, Julie (Jim) Clawson, Jan (Emilio) Reyes, and Scott (Jean) Mallory; 11
grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren; and many wonderful friends she has made over the years.
In lieu of flowers please donate to your favorite charity in Darlene’s name.
Visitation will be held from 4-8 p.m. on Thursday, October 5 at Scheer Memorial Chapel, 2410 Foothill
Blvd. in Oroville. Graveside services will take place at 11:00 a.m. Friday, October 6 at Memorial Park
Cemetery, 5646 Lincoln Blvd., Oroville. A gathering for family and friends after the service will be at
Riverbend Park (Bear Rock Pavilion), 50 Montgomery St., Oroville.

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